Kiwi lamb meets the Middle East

       
        Lamb has become an expensive item so when it features in the menu it is a bit of a special treat and even then I try to make it go just that little bit further.  This dish does that nicely it is rich and satisfying especially with lots of freshly baked bread to mop up the sauce, oh and super easy too.  The eggs are cooked so that when you break the yolk it adds a certain gooey unctuousness to the whole dish.  Feel free to do this with just the eggs and tomato sauce, still quite heavenly and a super different brunch dish to try out on friends and family.  Add the meatballs, beans and a glass of Shiraz to make a fabulous dinner.



Meatballs

600grms lamb mince
1 onion finely diced
3 Tablespoons fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon chilli
salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
oil to fry

Combine all the ingredients well and with wet hands make golf ball size meatballs.  Brown the meatballs all over.




Spicy Tomato Sauce

 2 tablespoons oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 large 820grm tin chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chilli
salt and pepper
500mls stock or water
3 Tablespoons fresh thyme

Using the same fry-pan that was used for the meatballs add oil, onions and garlic and cook until translucent.  Add the spices and cook for one minute then add remaining ingredients and bring to the boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes until it has reduced to a thick sauce.


To Finish Dish

600grams green beans
6 eggs

Add beans to sauce cook for five minutes the add meatballs, crack in six eggs ( I made little indentations in the mix first) cover pan with a lid and cook until egg whites are just set, or longer depending on how you like your eggs.  Serve with plenty of fresh bread (recipe to follow) or hot buttered couscous.

Sunday Brunch

   

                  All I can say is if you're partial to the odd bit of french toast then you should try this gorgeous twist but be warned you may find that you eat more than the odd bit.  I did a quick bit of research and got lost amongst the many variations and there country of origin some made me salivate and others (savoury, gherkins onions mayonnaise and tomato sauce) left me for dead, but they all had one thing in common a quick and economical way to use up stale bread.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_toast     Here's a link if you're a little curious about "french toast".




Cream Cheese and jam stuffed French Toast


 4 eggs
1 cup milk
4 fat slices (2 -3cm) stale bread
4 tbspn cream cheese
4 tbspns jam (I used nectarine )
cinnamon and sugar
oil
butter

 Cut a pocket into one side of the bread cut almost all the way through.  Into each pocket smear 1 tablespoon each of cream cheese and jam.  Beat eggs and milk together pour into a flat dish that is big enough for  the four slices of bread.  Lay the bread flat into the milk and turn over after five minutes (remember that you want the bread to soak up all of the egg mixture)  Heat the oil in a large non-stick fry-pan add butter.   Sprinkle the bread with cinnamon and sugar and fry until golden on both sides